Day 8 (2011)

0:20 - Opening Prayer Time

Prayer to Go to Heaven vs. Transformation of Life

1:55 - If it’s not about a prayer to go to heaven what do you say to people? Do you say a prayer?

2:40 - Don't just make it about getting into heaven - Talk about dying to live - Saying a prayer is not wrong. The key is that you don’t want to imply that the only thing they are doing is getting into heaven.

3:15 - Question (cont.) - In short I don't know how to approach people when it's not a simple prayer that changes you. - Sinner’s prayer - Give understanding - We came up with the sinner's prayer about 100 yrs ago. It's not that it's a bad idea. And it's not that it's wrong to lead somebody in a prayer. It's that you give them understanding about what they are doing. You are responsible for giving them understanding on what they are doing. They’re not praying a prayer to get into heaven they are giving their life back to God. They are dying to the old and living to the new.

3:45 - Water baptism - We're dying to live - The reason there is less emphasis in the church on water baptism - and that you can pray this prayer and not even think about being water baptized is because we have taken out the part about dying to yourself, taking up your cross and following Jesus - Mt. 16:24. So you can pray a prayer to go to heaven and still have the same mentality, the same emotional make up, same perspectives, same mindsets, same issues and struggles. But at least I’m going to heaven now. That’s kind of what we’ve reduced it to.

4:15 - Show them who they were created to be - And how different they are from that right now - So your goal is not to just get them to pray that prayer. But to understand who they were created to be. I bring up selfishness; how easily we are hurt and offended; jealous and proud. And people are like, “Well, yeah.” And I get to explain that we were not created for that. That Jesus came and modeled a life that we were created to live. That He is the firstborn among many brethren and He said, “Follow me.” So when I look to Jesus I see my created value - my destiny wrapped up in His life lived. I find out who I was created to be in the first place. And all of this other stuff is who I became through the fall. It’s what the world taught me. So I put that away. I put that off. And I put on Him.

5:10 - It's about giving your life back - So don't struggle with talking to people. Don't feel like you can't get them to pray a prayer. Praying a prayer can be a strong contact point of faith for a person. But you’re not praying a prayer just to go to heaven. You’re giving your life back.

5:25 - Gospel message parallels water baptism - I like to do that whole thing in the process of water baptism. Down in the baptismal, people will often say, "I just want to die. I just want to give my life back."

5:35 - Water baptism in TN - 13 people drove home wet - no change of clothes. In America if you drive home wet, God is moving! - great change of heart for young man. Don't get your eyes on outward appearances. Because this young man didn't look like he was receiving - but seeds were going in. Just love people and preach the truth in love and let Holy Spirit do the work.

9:00 - It's about transformation of life - So our goal is not to get our name in a book to go to heaven. The goal is transformation of life. Born again. That's where we kind of took a bend in the road when we made it all about going to heaven. "Hey, if you die tonight and you don't know where you are going, just raise your hand and we will pray and fix that." And we pray and we confess Jesus as Lord. And that's all we do, give people the idea that, "Hey, I'm covered. I've got insurance. If this thing wraps up at least I've prayed this prayer." No, it’s transformation of life. It's putting off the old - putting on the new.

➡ 9:45 - Let me just show you that real quick but we are going to get into this somewhere down the road. It will be a little dangerous going here. I want you to see where I get this stuff. It's all through the Bible. In Col. 3 it talks about being raised with Christ and putting off the flesh. We are going to teach that out. I am going to wrap up Rom. 6 today.

➡ 10:35 - We have boldness to approach God - And that's where we are changed - Review - In Hebrews 10 we saw that we have boldness to enter the holiest place. Why? Because through one sacrifice we were perfected forever. I am made qualified to approach Him. Whose idea was that? His. So He must want me in His presence. So the days of guilt, condemnation, shame, self consciousness should be obliterated completely through this.

11:15 - Self-consciousness keeps you from going into that place of transformation. Self-consciousness is the flesh lie that keeps you from stepping into His presence to be made more like Him. And now you have some natural reason that justifies you from going into intimacy with the Lord with unveiled face. So you stay covered - afraid of the light. Are you kidding? You are created for the light. So jump in and shine.

12:00 - You’re explaining to people why Jesus came. - And people respond - This is in light of the earlier question. You're explaining to people why Jesus came and rose again. That’s what they did in the book of Acts and people would respond, “What must we do to be saved?” We've turned it into plowing to get people to pray our prayer. In Acts people would hear and see the gospel and they would respond. We've turned it into getting society to repeat our prayer. You can't find the sinner's prayer in the book of Acts.

13:00 - Philip and the eunuch - The eunuch inquired about the scripture. Philip preached Jesus - Philip must have preached transformation of life - putting off the old, putting on the new - because right away the eunuch wants to be baptized. Acts 8:36 In Christianity you can’t live until you die. There is a dying to live.

13:55 - Die to live - If we don't share that with people and show them that thing that we think is "living" - it's like the living dead - you live to yourself - but the way that seems right to a man produces death - Prov. 14:12. So we've got to get that (living death) off of people to get life to come. So we are putting off the old and putting on the new. We just saw that in Rom. 6. The old man is crucified. You are not teaching that if you are just praying a prayer to go to heaven.

14:20 - It's the gospel of the kingdom - We’re not just trying to get numbers so that Jesus can come back. We want the transformation of life and love to overtake the earth. It's the gospel of the kingdom that needs to be preached everywhere. The gospel of the kingdom - that means that His kingdom is come - that His will is being done - that you are created to be sons and daughters - that there is a restoration and renewal of life through Jesus - transformation of life. That's different than trying to get the world to pray a certain prayer and man if we can cover everybody with media and TV and missions then maybe God will blow the trumpet and Jesus will come. That sounds right. That's what we say. But there is no transformation of life most of the time - same frustrations, same anger, same unforgiveness, same bitterness, same insecurity, same identity crisis. That's not what I see here. I'm going to read it (Col. 3) to you...

The Kingdom of God

15:30 - Jesus said the kingdom of God is within you. What exactly is the kingdom of God? It's the gospel of the kingdom. It's the way God works - the way God functions and flows. It's life in God. The kingdom is within you. You are created and designed to manifest the kingdom. So if I am just waiting to go to heaven and that's all that I understand and know and nobody has taught me that I am a son, even though the kingdom is within you, you’ll manifest the fall of man - the wisdom of man - the same old fears, frustrations, mindsets, emotional patterns, yet you knew you needed Jesus as Savior.

16:40 - Born again to manifest something different - I'm not being proud but I didn't have that experience. Because in 1995 something changed. Now before that I would have told you that I was a Christian as long as I can remember back. I would have told you that I was a Christian. And I could have told you why - because Jesus died on the cross for the remission of my sins. I could have told you that. And I was a total utter mess. But when I got born again at age 33 and understood what I am teaching... I can’t even relate to fear, anxiety, worry. That's not my fault. It's not because I am a great believer. It’s because of what I see. If my eye is single my whole body is flooded with light - Mt. 6:22. There’s a whole lot more than praying a prayer to go to heaven.

18:20 - Believing that I can't change cuts off the grace that I need to change - How many of us even believe that there can be change? How many of us say, “The way we are is the way we are. But thank God He loves us. Thank God He considers us.” Then there is no faith to receive grace for change. You are going to see this in Colossians.

19:20 - The Spirit of God inside me - Participant's comment - I knew that there was more than what I was being taught. There's got to be more.

19:40 - That's the Spirit of God - the kingdom within. He's inside you and all that God is is encompassed in Holy Spirit. Some ask, "What's my gift?" What do you mean. The Spirit of God is in me. So all that He is is in me. So the capacity of the kingdom of God and all that He is is inside me. So, I’m growing in what that means.

20:15 - Participant's comment (cont.) - Grew up in denominational church and there was good teaching but "God, if there isn't anything else, I am finished." Baptism in Holy Spirit. - You were crying out your heart to God. It's amazing how God answers that and shows mercy. It's a heart cry.

20:45 - If the kingdom of God is within us, why is it so latent? (latent meaning - asleep - existing but not yet developed or manifest. Hidden.)

21:10 - God has made great provision for His kingship to be expressed on the earth - We need to UNDERSTAND our role and what's available - Because a lack of understanding. The Spirit of God is not here to control your life. He works with us. He flows with us. He works by faith. My people are destroyed by a lack of knowledge - Hosea 4:6. He says, awake and arise you who sleep - Eph. 5:14. There is understanding that has been put to sleep a long time ago - subtleties that have been interjected. I believe a lot of our teaching is laced with a strategy of deception - without willful intention on the part of teachers. You're just passing on what you've been taught. It's ignorance.

21:50 - We must RECEIVE that view, that provision, Him - All of this great power is inside of us. And this great identity. And the way God views us has never changed. But you have to RECEIVE that view to receive the blessing of that view. Until you realize you are precious to Him, you won’t walk in the fruit of that. But it’s still totally, completely true from His angle. So it’s either, unbelief, continued extreme self-consciousness, "yeah buts", trying to talk around truth because of circumstantial realities... The list why (you're not receiving) could be huge.

22:40 - Even when we haven't received yet - God is still the same - But here is the good news. God hasn't changed. Jesus died and rose again. And the Spirit of God is here. And truth is on the earth. God hasn't changed.

23:15 - Kingdom of God - Seek first the kingdom of God (Mt. 6:33) - the way God thinks, the way God works, the way God functions, the way it is in the realm of God. We’re seeking the mindset of God - the heart of God. And His righteousness - the way He looks at earth - His nature - His character. I’m seeking to know Him - that I may know Him. That's my journey. That's my goal as a Christian.

Colossians 3

23:45 - v.1 - If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. -

24:25 - Seek the things that are above - We often talk spiritual - confession, "Hey, Jesus loves me..." - but live through the eye of the flesh. That needs to be obliterated. To live by the flesh is death. To live by the spirit is life and peace - Rom. 8:6. The eye is the lamp of your body - Mt. 6:22. This scripture is not here to sound rosy. This is here for transformation. Jesus wrote this stuff by the Spirit.

25:15 - Positionally you were raised with Christ. Some people just grab ahold of a positional theology. "It's hell on the earth. But at least I know that I am seated with Christ in heavenly places." It's way more than positional if you read on...

25:45 - seek those things which are above - seek the way that heaven thinks.

26:00 - v.2 - Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. -

You are the steward of your mind - Set your mind - So there is your job. You are the steward to set your mind. Sounds like it could be a challenge. Sounds like there could be a challenge to have your mind other places. Why does he tell you to set your mind there? Because there may be temptation to have your mind in other places, other arenas, other mindsets.

26:30 - Driven by life - Things above and not on the things on earth - We can be driven by life and it’s happenings and people and what they are saying and not. If we don’t get a grip on thinking from above we won’t be able to process the things that are going on here correctly. Then we’re at the mercy of life - but living in the name of the Lord.

27:05 - I don't want that. I had that years ago. But for the last 16 years that's changed. I tell people that I am either the most whacked and deceived man on the planet or I'm free. It's one or the other. And I am banking on free. We'll find out one day.

Why are you going to "set your mind"? Here's the key. See we didn't just pray a prayer to go to heaven...

27:35 - v.3 - For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. -

You died - Why are you going to do that? Because you died to you and the way you thought and everything that encompassed you. The seed fell to the ground and died. You died so that you could spring up and bear much fruit. If a seed doesn’t die it abides alone - John 12:24. It’s just self-conscious, self-centered, self-preserving, self-serving and at the end of the seed's journey all it is is just the seed that was called to be much more. We died to this life - this way of life. We’re thinking from above.

28:35 - v.4 - When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. - You get mocked and judged. "You've got to face reality brother... Get out of denial... Everybody goes through..." You are not called to justify and prove and defend all of that. You just live and be free and manifest purity and you’ll be with Him. That's what it means to commit yourself to Him who judges righteously - 1 Peter 2:23.

29:15 - v.5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: - Therefore - because all of this is true. Put to death…

29:30 - v.6,7 - For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. - He’s saying, That’s not you any more. You used to live in them. Now you might get tempted by them. Now when something like that passes through your mind, you call it for what it is.

30:00 - When you recognize a temptation you call it for what it is - You used to own me, but I belong to another now. You used to drive me but God I thank You that you've changed me from the inside and You have raised the level of integrity and the honor of who I see myself to be. And I am way beyond that now in my spirit and in my life. Father I thank You that You have delivered...

30:25 - Set your mind - That’s what it means to set your mind. You are not just letting things drift through and eat your lunch - own you, drive you.

30:50 - Believe that the word is written to you. When He’s talking, He is talking to me.

Putting Off the Old without Getting into Works

31:10 - v.8,9 - But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; - But now --> change has come. Put off the old man and his deeds.

31:30 - How do I put away all these things - put off the old - without me just biting my lip and getting into works and trying not to be angry?

Put off the old through communion - By releasing faith and receiving grace - It’s totally relational. It’s faith and grace. You start realizing that you weren’t created for any of that. The lie is finally exposed and you understand that you were not created for anger, wrath, filthy language... I was created for God’s image, for His glory, to be a son. And you finally see that...

32:40 - Put off the old - Father, I thank You, You have made me to love. I thank You that You didn't make me to be an angry man - a jealous man - a self-serving man. That's why I am surrendered God. I yield myself to You. I give myself to You. And I thank You that the days of anger driving me are over - Your Spirit working effectually in me giving me understanding, changing me from the inside out. Your grace is all over me God, to mold me and shape me for the way it was before Adam ate from the tree. I'm in, God. I don't reserve any rights - anything for myself. As best I know, I'm calling it all dead. And thank you for causing me to live...

33:20 - It's a supernatural change - You're praying that way, thinking that way, believing that way and you are surrendering rights in prayer. And when you walk into life you’ll be amazed at how those rights aren't there - how you used to react you don't react that way any more. You are changed.

33:40 - And here is the sweet thing - How did you get that way? And all of the sudden you can't take any credit. You can't say, "Because I have been really disciplined. I've been reading a lot and fasting, etc." No, you don't even realize the change because it's supernatural. It's spiritual. It's from the inside out. But I know one thing - you are willing - you are yes...

34:00 - I was not created for anger. Anger is unacceptable. Strife will no longer drive my life. Stress is over. God, I thank You that I have peace with You and You have invaded and overtaken my life because I have yielded like clay and You are pottering me and making me Your masterpiece. I thank You that I am a tree of righteousness. There is fruit hanging all over me. And when the thirsty need drink it's on my tree. When people need loved, come to me. When people need mercy and forgiveness, it's all over my life... I have prayed that way for years.

34:40 - So now the Spirit of God has faith to work with and agreement to work with. All of the sudden the Spirit of God rises up in you - not that He ever slumbers - and He is awake and alive. And all of the sudden you get thrown into a thing where you should be so angry and you don't even know how to be angry. Not because you are trying not to be angry because it's the Christian thing to do. No, the change is supernatural so God gets all the glory. [Example scenario of change]

Exalting Sin

36:20 - Why do we tend to focus on sin as opposed to righteousness?

By false humility we actually exalt sin - There could be a lot of answers to this question. One thing we do that we don't realize is - we honor the ability to sin - thinking that if we make ourselves humble it exalts God. That’s not God’s intention. God's intention is not that we humble ourselves by exalting our sinfulness.

37:35 - Pride resists - humility receives - Actually humility is the ability to receive. Pride resists. When you say yes to God's love that's humble. When you say yes to God's mercy that's humble. Receiving the grace of God is humility. Resisting the grace of God is pride. When you say yes to God’s love, that’s humble. When you think of your old life but He says that He loves you and doesn't even remember the old, if you receive His mercy, that's humble. When you say, "Who me? But you don't know where I've been... He could never forgive me," that's pride. When you resist you exalt your past over His nature. So pride resists. Humility receives.

38:20 - Some things have an appearance of humility and they are false humility because they resist the grace of God. Humility receives the grace of God. The Bible say, God gives grace to the humble - Jas. 4:6. So if someone is resisting grace that would make them proud. So the best thing that you can do is let Him love you.

39:00 - Participant comment regarding how do we put off the old but staying out of works. The work of God is to believe. God doesn't need our service, love. We just respond to His first love.

40:00 - If it's works then we are paying off a debt. But it's not debt. It's grace.

Lying

40:20 - v.9 - Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; -

Don't lie. Why? How do you put off the old man? The only way you put off the old man is communion with God and prayer. And coming out of the lie of who you were always taught you always have to be. That's another reason that sin is mentioned so much. Make sure that you don't use that sin doctrine as your excuse to remain in the flesh. Sometimes we come up with a doctrine to oblige our life instead of change our lives.

41:40 - Don't lie to one another - Don't live insincerely, deceitfully. Why do people lie? Self preservation, protection - you are covering something. If you die to yourself, you have nothing to hide. Let's live in truth. Why? Because we are now Christlike. 42:20 - Dishonesty is inconsistent with who He made us to be - We think that lying is human nature and it is human nature through the fall but it’s not what you were created for. What God is saying is that the way you lived before I came (into your life) isn't the way that I made you. The way you lived before I came is because of sin and being born into Adam and you must be born again. So you have a brand new nature, brand new way of thinking, brand new way of living, brand new motivation - now it's love. So why would we lie? Why would we live in deceit and dishonesty if we have put on Christ? Deceit has to do with the old man - part of the old nature. Watch what we are going to do then...

Putting on the New - Image of God

43:20 - v.10 - And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: - renewed in knowledge - This is what we haven't understood. The purpose in teaching this school is because it seems like we haven't understood this. So we want to get this knowledge out there. In all of your getting get understanding - Prov. 4:7. If we can get a revelation of this it will transform our lives.

43:40 - It will convict us in areas where we haven' received change. Things that were permissible but not edifying all the sudden get exposed and revealed for what they really are. Truth comes and makes you free. That's why you teach.

44:30 - You were created for His image - v.10 is where you make the connection that you were made for His image. - after the image of his creator - Let us make man in our image and in the likeness of God He made them - Gen 1:26. You look like your daddy. So when He sees us, He sees that destiny, that potential to manifest His nature, His character. So the Christian life is a restoration back to the image of God. So the new man is thinking through, living through, seeing through, who God is. And you realize that you have received every right to become that by His grace and power. And faith takes you there.

45:45 - Pride and humility - Participant comment regarding humility and pride. It's almost like we are taught the opposite. - Yes, like what I am preaching could be seen as presumptuous, arrogant, "Who do you think you are?" Well, I'm trying to tell you who I think I am. And it's not glory to me but glory to Him. It's His desire. "You need to not think of yourself more highly than you ought." That would be pretty hard because God, through Jesus Christ (His life, death, resurrection) is saying, "I love you. Your life lived is worth the blood of my Son."

47:10 - Yes, it's reversed. To speak the way that we are speaking is considered proud and to do the opposite is humble. It's twisted. [Twisted language]

47:30 - Formulating doctrine from experience with regard to healing - from the devil - defending our experiences. You can hardly preach healing because of the walls that have been put up.

48:40 - What is the image of God? The image of God is love. God’s nature - tender mercies - gentleness… We're going to read it right here...

➡ 48:55 - Love - We are going to hit becoming love. Hang on... because it is so challenging. It so exposes human flesh and motivation when you preach love. Love is the freest place you can live. The reason God is so free and amazing is because He is love. He's not having a bad day and His heart is not hard. And if you would look through human eyes, He has every reason to be a mess. He should probably change His mind about us. He should probably have some of us on probation - making us prove ourselves. But God doesn't think like a man thinks. God is love and He gives you every opportunity to shine. So why don't you shine.

50:15 - v.11 - Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. - no comparisons

50:25 - v.12 - Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; -

Elect of God - What are you? You are the elect of God. You're God’s choice - the best He’s got - and He’s good with that.

51:25 - Inaudible participant comments - Wait, I'm elect. If I believe that I pass the test. I'm humble. Grace is on me.

51:45 - Pride says, "Well, I don't know why He choose me?" The only reason you are saying that is because you are weighing your life based on past life lived - not potential, destiny, calling and identity through Christ. The only reason you would say that is because you are evaluating through the flesh instead of Christ in you and your potential. Guess what else you are...

52:30 - holy and beloved - that’s the way God sees you through Christ. You live what you think you are. That's why this identity thing is so huge. You give yourself to the value you possess. Your identity dictates the fruit that hangs on your tree.

53:20 - Addictive behaviors are almost always attached to shattered esteem - identity crisis - insecurity. Addictive behaviors, compulsive behaviors are because we have devalued our identity.

54:30 - You are the elect of God. So since this is true... You're not just elect so that you can wear it on a t-shirt. It's to enter you in to the transformation of life. It's to qualify you to receive His grace, His nature, His Spirit - to be transformed.

54:55 - Receive God's love - Become God's love to others - Elect of God - Does God love you just for the sake of loving you? Is the goal of the cross for you to say, "Father you love me," or for you to be restored back to that love (becoming that love)? We could stop right there and say, "Well, it's all about "God loves you. God loves you." Well, that's great. He does. That's paramount. That's why I'm camping so long on it. But you are going to find out in this week coming up that the whole reason that the love is so free to flow is so that you be transformed by that love and reproduced after it and made just like it.

55:25 - Or it's still just a self-serving thing. It's about being loved by God instead of becoming the love of God. If that's the way it is, you're just walking around on a little island all by yourself - God loves me - but you despise people, you are jealous etc. “Well, I don’t care what you think. God loves me.” That’s twisted. The whole reason for communion with God is for love to flow out to others. The whole reason that God's love is on the earth towards you is so that you become that love and love one another.

56:15 - Nobody is on an island alone with God. And even if you take a little vacation with Him, it's still all about you becoming love and manifesting that love in your life.

56:25 - Put on - Here again, if we put off through communion and union, then we put on through communion and union. So we put off the old. Now we are going to put on the new. You put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, bearing with one another...

57:30 - v.13 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. -

Receive forgiveness - Become forgiveness - You are already forgiven. So why don't you become forgiveness. Grace is given to humanity - why? - so that we can become the same thing - His image - the restoration back to His image - and manifest Christ to the world - Eph. 3:10 - and that God's intent - through the church make known His manifold wisdom to the powers that be.

58:25 - v.14 - And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

It's all about becoming love - Above all put on love - bond of perfection - perfect unity. Love is the fulfillment of the law. It does no harm to a neighbor. The goal of our instruction is love. 1 Tim 1:5 It’s all about becoming love not just about going to heaven. If you become love you are one with the eternal One and you are going to live forever.

59:45 - perfection - I am perfected in that day of judgement because I have boldness. Love is perfected in this that we have boldness in the day of judgement. 1 John 4:17 Boldness because... as He is so are we. We are one. So I have nothing to hide from and nothing to fear. When He comes, He will see Himself in me and two are already one. That's perfection. And who is He? God is love - the whole chapter 1 John 4.

100:15 - Participant comment - 1 John 4 - The one who loves his brother has been perfected.

100:25 - 1 John 2 says that if you love there is no cause for stumbling because of your brother - 1 John 2:10. That means that nobody has the authority, the power in love to stumble your heart - to offend you or cause you to take a step back. When we get on love, you guys are going to be stretched.

Opposition from Within?

101:00 - We are supposed to “put to death.” Where is all of this opposition in man? - Col. 3:5 We're dead and yet we have to mortify?

The gospel restores your innocence - We lost our innocence through sin. So when you hear the phrase "become like a child" (Mt. 18:3) that's the restoration of your innocence. So one goal of this gospel is restoring your innocence - to where your heart is pure - Titus 1:15 - and to the pure all things are pure and the pure in heart see God - Mt. 5:8.

102:00 - You're in a war - There's an enemy - But if you have to "set your mind on things above" (Col. 3:2) - there are still things that rise above the knowledge of God. There are "yeah buts," the flesh is involved, passing desires, memories of the past - some are demonic - some are memories - some are strategies of the enemy, interjected at the opportune moment to see if you are what you say you are.

102:15 - You are in a war - not with flesh and blood - Eph. 6:12. There is a deceiver who is whispering. He's a snake in the grass - who says, “Did God really say that?” And he twists what God says. And that kind of language is in the church a lot on certain topics - especially healing.

102:50 - Last year's school - Talking about healing - It felt like we couldn't hear. Cried.

103:05 - This stuff isn't just positional - where you confess it and that's it. There are thoughts that rise above the knowledge of God in your life. Some comes from your soul, lost innocence, the way that seems right to a man, some comes from demonic whisperings - "Did God say?..." It really doesn’t matter what the source is. If it's knowledge that rises above God, it's not God. So it doesn't even matter what the source is. Who cares technically where it is coming from. It's not God. It's not edifying. It's not wisdom. It's the way that seems right.

104:00 - I have to get to the place where I know what is (of) God and the lamp of the body is fine tuned and narrow to the truth and all of these other things are exposed through truth and light and removed. So I am setting my mind on things above.

Daily Devotions

104:25 - Reading the Bible - To know Him - That's why you have to build yourself up in the word. You read your Bible because you want to know and understand and know Him. You want to be in the light and in the know and you don't want anything to eat your lunch and sell you short not that Christ has come. So you are not reading your Bible because it's the Christian thing to do. "Welcome to the kingdom, make sure you attend a good church and read your Bible once a day and make sure you pray." We tell people that and turn them into a robot. Rather than tell them, "Enjoy getting to know Him. Just understand that when you read the word, this is your face to face encounter with God. You will see who He is here. And the more you see who He is the more you will know who you are. Man, you get excited and get in the word because every time you open it. Don't read it like a history book. Ask Holy Spirit to give you revelation and understanding and illuminate you and cause you to see the face of the living God." That's a little different than reading because you are a Christian and doing your daily devotions. "See I am devoted to you God. I'm keeping my mind on the things of God this morning so that I can live the rest of the day OK." I'm not against setting time apart but God needs to show up and make it life.

The Eye is the Lamp

106:30 - What do you mean by “single eye” (Mt. 6:22)? Being heaven minded - the mind of Christ - your identity lining up with what God says - Is that right?

See things as He sees them - And ONLY as He sees them - Looking through truth. Looking through the life of Jesus. Looking through love. Single eye - God’s not multiple choice. He’s not a wide view lens. In other words, He’s not “yeah but…”, "yeah, if...". He is THE way. It’s the way of love. Love doesn't take account of a suffered wrong. Why? Love doesn’t seek its own - 1 Cor. 13:5. So, If you don’t die to yourself in your Christianity, you will always seek your own. That’s where fear, frustration, discouragement, despair all come from.

107:15 - We don't believe that it's possible to be OK - We teach in a way to give permission to those things and say it’s normal and when somebody says they are not normal is in “denial”. That’s a lie. So we get to the place where you can’t just be OK.  People say that if you know someone who is always doing good you need to get them alone, look them in the eyes and say, “Now tell me how you are really doing.” We don't believe that we can be OK. And if you don’t believe you can be OK, you will never manifest OK. The Bible tells me I am free. We sing about freedom and then believe that we can't be free.

108:30 - His grace is sufficient to transform you back to love - Don’t believe that you can’t be transformed and walk in the image of God. Grace is sufficient for you. What God calls you to, He empowers you to. But you have to believe it. Did He call you to become love? Is He willing to make you love if you are willing? Of course He is.

Put to Death the Old

109:00 - Going back to Col. 3:5 (see question at 101:00) - How do I reconcile the old desires that rises up from within and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Col 3:5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: -

Put to death the old - Therefore put to death… or consider the members dead. So if they seem to have life, guess what you do... kill them. Don't say, "Why do I have to keep killing them if they are already dead?" Just kill them.

110:30 - Enjoy the ride - There is nothing wrong with you - Put to death the members of your flesh. In other words, you’re not going to live by the flesh but by the Spirit. And enjoy the ride because there's nothing wrong with you.

110:50 - Conviction is a great thing - Light to recognize it, kill it and so it will stay dead - When you see something in your heart that has a twist to the motivation, that's an exciting thing. That means that you are walking in the light. That means that things are being revealed.

111:05 - Some of them just leave and you never know it. They just leave in the process. Some of them God wants you to be aware of. He highlights it so that you aren't snared by it - so that it doesn't subtly sneak in. He wants to kill it for sure. So He shows you what it is and gives you understanding, so that it's not a snake in your life, and He crushes it. So you don't have a problem.

111:25 - Don't get negative because of challenges - Now if you aren't clear in your understanding and that happens you're like, "Oh God, I can't believe after all of this time I've still got this wicked stuff in my heart. I don't know if I will ever change." And then we go into that demeaning mindset language - "I wonder if I am even saved?" That's the whole strategy of the enemy. Satan’s strategy: get into your head and slowly repossess your heart.

112:15 - Set your mind - There will be challenges - We used to live that way. And there is a temptation to still reserve that right. But you "set your mind on things above." The fact that it says, "Set your mind" means that there is going to be a trial in areas of your life. That things are going to come back to test you and to try you. The devil himself is going to look for opportunity (Luke 4:13) and don't you be unaware of his devices - 2 Cor. 2:11. So you work out your salvation with a awe and reverence toward God (Phil. 2:12) and you manifest who He is because you can.

112:50 - Participant comment on Romans. The only command Paul gives before chapter 12 is "reckon." Chapter 12 talks about what the new life looks like but you have to go through chapter 6. Reckon yourself dead to sin...

➡ 113:25 - Recap of Romans - Recon yourself dead indeed to sin - Rom. 6:11. We pounded that yesterday. That was so life giving. Romans 6 - Reckon yourself dead indeed to sin. Romans 7 - The man still married to the law. Still trying to work out his own deal and not through Christ. Romans 8 - Tells you to live by the Spirit. And that you’re predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. And that if God didn’t spare His own Son, how much more will He freely give you everything it takes to be like His Son. And it keeps going and building... Romans 12 & 13 - Reveals the life of that finished work.

Transformed to His Image

114:15 - Is it possible that 2 Cor. 3:18 is a wedding ceremony where the veil that is over us is God saying that you are a chaste virgin? And where it is said who gives this woman? And where the father lifts the veil off and says it's time for the wedding night?

115:00 - You can see all of that that you want and rejoice. It's what you can see.

2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. -

115:30 - We ought to just pass out mirrors.

115:40 - Looking in the mirror. I see you in there.

116:35 - Look in the mirror and see what He sees - We are being transformed. The first key is you, with an unveiled face, look in that mirror and see the potential of (looking like) God - the image of God - the created value of God. You look in the mirror and see that you are one with Him.

16:55 - You ARE being transformed into the SAME IMAGE from glory to glory.

117:10 - From glory to glory - Back to His image - God has delivered us God has always seen me for who I am. God has always called me to His highest best. God has always called me to His image. That's a place of glory. He created man to be His glory on the earth - Ps. 8:4-8, Heb 2:6-8. So from glory (the way we were created) and then Christ crucified and raised again, to glory (restoring us to His image - glory) and everything in between is swept aside.

118:10 - God never lost sight of who He made us to be. What God blessed is still blessed. God doesn't change His mind. He blessed us in creating us in His image. Man fell away. Man died. Man lost the image. But God moves all of that away and from glory to glory - through Christ we are restored back to what we always were in His sight. That's phenomenal.

118:35 - So you better with unveiled face behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord and go ahead and let Holy Spirit transform you into the same image just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

118:40 - 2 Corinthians 4 v.1-2 - Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. - Do you hear the purity in all of that? Why would we want anything else unless you are selfish? Why would you want anything less if you are surrendered and dead and alive unto to God.

120:10 - Participant's comment on "The way" - Roman highways built up so that the water runs off. They were really raised. So if you ran off the edge you really went off an edge. Is. 35.

121:10 - Transformation through the renewing of our minds - That's like being in the world but not of it. That's like being transformed by the renewing of our minds - Rom. 12:2. So our minds need a total conversion and that's where transformation is found.

121:20 - The mind is the battleground - That's the only battle there is. That's the only playground of the devil is to try to get into your head (mind) - into unrenewed areas, unsurrendered areas, misunderstood areas or just no understanding areas - and take advantage of what you don’t see.

Discipline from Love - Not Frustration

121:30 - How do you parent out of love and not frustration? How do you separate the anger out of discipline - that there are consequences for our actions?

Separating frustration from discipline goes back to becoming love - A lot of us face this challenge. We take what our kids do more personally than if someone else’s kid does the same thing. It all goes back to becoming love. Seeing the value of your child and the blessing of your child. And it’s this communion place we’ve been talking about. Frustrations - come out of taking their actions personally. Take that right (straight away) to prayer and you start putting that off.

122:50 - Putting off frustration with a child - Father, I thank You for the blessing of little Bobby. Father, I thank You that just the way You saw value in my life, even when I was way off track, You never came and slammed me. You weren't frustrated. In fact, the best You could do was love me and send Your Son and make a way for me. Thank You for making me that love - causing my eyes to see in little Bobby, what Your eyes see - and have always seen in me and in him. Lord, I don't want selfishness...

123:30 - There is conviction. Tears are awesome. Tears show that she cares. She's realizing that this isn't the way. There has to be a better way. But there are a lot of people who wouldn't bat an eye at being frustrated at their kids. They are expecting to be frustrated. "I would have been ticked too. I would have knocked him across the room."

124:00 - There has to be a better way - Father, what I am feeling is not Your heart. What I'm feeling makes me uncomfortable. Put Your heart in me. I want to see the value of them. I don't want to be selfish. I don't want to be personal ("take it personal") in this thing. And I don't want to touch them outside of love. You have never touched me outside of love. God, thank You for moving in my life so that I never touch outside of love. What You have done in me, I want to do in others. Reproduce Yourself. Have Your way...

124:40 - God brings change in the midst of communion - ...And God starts changing things. I don’t know how God does the changing, but if you will commune with Him like that, change will begin. And all the sudden you will just find yourself...(changed).

124:55 - Change happens as you become love - Praying for patience - People say, "Be careful if you are praying for patience, brother. God will give it to you. Don't pray for patience." What do mean pray for patience? Just become love. Love is patient. If you are praying for patience, you are saying I have a love deficit. Don't break up the attributes of love and try to become one or the other. Just become love and you’ll become very patient. Why? Because love doesn’t take account of a suffered wrong. Love is not seeking it’s own - 1 Cor. 13:5.

125:25 - Disciple a child for their sake - See their value - And when you discipline a child it becomes for their sake - you see their value - looking toward their long road good. They might not really understand it. But take the time to teach them that if they continue to live this way it is going to cause them great pain down the road. You try to teach that through disciple - through a reaping and sowing kind of mentality. If you discipline out of frustration it produces rebellion, willfulness, secrecy - creates a mess - because there is no grace on that. So you are not disciplining because they have ticked you off. You are doing it for their sake.

126:10 - Be real and ask Him to change the way you see - Come out of agreement with it - Call it what it is - So you are asking Holy Spirit to reveal their value, the beauty of disciple, the wisdom of it and the right heart in it. And most of all you can cry in your bedroom when nobody is looking and say, I know that I shouldn't feel this way right now. There is something I'm not seeing and I want to see it. You can pray that humble and real. Don't try to be so spiritual that you can't get alone with God and say, You know what, I've been struggling with this. This frustration feels like it is what is motivating me. It is so not your will. So you come out of agreement with it. You call it what it is and isn't. You realize that it's not your calling in life or your lot in life.

126:40 - Don’t label yourself as a person who struggles with frustration. It’s not who you are called to be. And Father, I thank you for teaching me and showing me... Right then Holy Spirit might put a verse in you... Or He might be there listening. But you walk out of the room in faith and you thank God that He is transforming your life - faith. You’ll be amazed how things start changing.

127:15 - Depend on Him for change - Not your own effort - You'll end up discouraged - You don’t bite your lip to be a better Christian. You’ll get discouraged because you can’t and you’ll feel like something is wrong with me. “I must not be sincere. If I didn’t get it by now I’ll never get it.” All of those thoughts come and they are degenerate and they are not true.